What is the difference between Wheat and Rye?

Wheat is a cereal grass which is often processed into flour and used for baking. Rye is also a cereal grass that can be used for baking, making whiskey, and animal fodder. Wheat has a somewhat neutral or nutty flavor, and it takes on the character of whatever is being added to it—for example, sugar or salt. Rye has a very distinctive flavor, and some people find its slightly sour taste repulsive.

Others swear by popular staples, such as ham and cheese on rye and Reubens; however, very little can be done to make rye sweeter. Wheat grows on the long end of a cellulose stalk. The palatable part is the part that comes in a cluster, as it becomes layered. Once it is ground, it retains its light brown color. Rye is much darker, it can grow in the same climate as wheat, and it is mainly produced in Eastern Europe and Russia.